Being in the business of medical tourism for last 8 years, I have realized that seeking healthcare abroad is not as simple as it looks. The international patient needs to be careful and cautious in making major treatment decisions.

The patient is located in a far off place, does not have enough knowledge about the country and its heath care, therefore, would find difficult to navigate.

Med Access was founded in 2006 when medical tourism sector was still at a nascent stage. Nothing much was known as to how this sector will evolve in terms of business model. After 8 years and having managed complex treatments of more than 2000 international patients, it is clear that in order to get a safe and fruitful treatment journey, a patient would need a complete support system in India.

The patient should have the clear and comprehensive answer to the following questions:

 How should I put myself in the best hands?

 Which is the best city/hospital for my treatment?

 Which is the best doctor for my treatment?

 Should I go directly to the hospital or use the services of a facilitator?

 Will the facilitator be available during the entire treatment process?

 Who is going to coordinate the entire treatment process?

 What if there are issues during the treatment?

 How would I be sure that I am paying the right amount?

 What if the costs go haywire?

 What if the surgery goes wrong?

 Is there anybody to help me monitor my treatment process?

If we carefully look into these questions, we would say that these questions are related to the treatment management and the patient would need support, guidance and monitoring of the treatment process. Hospitals are the providers and these questions do not fall under their preview. Facilitators are primarily providing logistics services and treatment part is left for the hospital to manage.

The question is ‘Is there any outfit that can be non-aligned and neutral and take the patient’s side? Who can help patient answer these questions and ensure that the patient is absolutely in best hands? Who can monitor the complete treatment, bring the treatment to a logical end, manage the financial aspects of the treatment and be with the patient during the entire treatment process?

To my knowledge the answer is no…..the real patient-centric medical tourism model is yet to emerge?